April 13, 2007

Pharmacist Refusal Slowing Down

We have good reason to believe that Senator Bryant’s Pharmacist Refusal bill (S. 126) is going to be held in committee this session thanks to the great advocacy work of concerned citizens across the state that wrote letters and called the senator and the SC Medical Affairs Committee. We will be watching this piece of legislation closely and will be prepared to take action should it begin to move either this session or next.
According to National Women’s Law Center, this is a bill that would allow refusals for any drug, from contraceptives to HIV medications to medications for attention deficit disorder, based on the pharmacists’ personal beliefs. While the bill requires pharmacies to notify patients that they are employing a pharmacist who will not dispense certain drugs, this is of little help to those who are limited by their transportation or insurance coverage to a particular pharmacy. Furthermore, by listing which drugs are subject to refusals in notice required under the law, the notice contributes to the stigma surrounding certain diseases, conditions and medications.
Here is what some had to say about this negative legislation:
“As a licensed pharmacist, I personally feel that pharmacists can have a major impact on medication use and healthcare. However, I do not believe that the right of refusal to dispense is the impact we should desire.”
Daniel G. Dauner, PharmD, MSPH, Licensed Pharmacist in South Carolina
“People with HIV/AIDS like myself depend on prescription medications to stay alive. We are already overburdened due to being stigmatized by society, while having to maintain strict adherence to rigid, time-sensitive “chemotherapy-like” drug regimens for the rest of our lives. Now our legislature is considering a bill that would allow pharmacists to decide which prescriptions they will dispense, while including no exceptions in the bill for cases where a patient’s life or health may be at risk. Passage of such a bill could set us back a decade in the treatment of HIV disease and ultimately cost our state millions in increased hospitalization costs.”
Karen Bates, Co-Chair South Carolina Campaign to End AIDS (SC-C2EA)
“This bill is out of step with the current approach taken by many other state legislatures, pharmacy boards, professional organizations and pharmacy chains addressing the refusal issue. Unlike other laws and policies, this bill does nothing to ensure patients’ timely access to their medication.”
Jill Morrison, Senior Counsel National Women’s Law Center
“…While pharmacists have the right to object in this matter I do not believe they have the right to obstruct otherwise legitimate therapy.”
David R. Work, Executive Director Emeritus NC Board of Pharmacy
“Under S. 126, pharmacies face unreasonable financial losses, as they must either employ conscientiously objecting pharmacists without regard for any undue economic loss suffered by the pharmacy or face a lawsuit for the failure to hire or retain the pharmacist who refuses to meet patient/customer needs.”
Beth Richardson, Columbia Attorney and Member of the South Carolina Coalition for Healthy Families